Sunday, March 29, 2015

Last night I led a Communion observance online on Facebook. Can you even imagine such a thing? Several years ago when David, my youngest son, signed me up for Facebook I thought it was kinda like a dating site. But I have found believers read and post there and in a few years I have found fellowship there. And in the past month I felt led of the Spirit to lead a Communion service online there.
I had never heard of an online Lord's Supper but I went by faith knowing that with the Spirit there is no time or space which can hinder Him. And so it was a glorious time in Christ. We will be observing it again on the last Saturday in April. Everyone brings their own juice or wine and bread and you just go to me timeline on Facebook. I post some worship music in order to prepare our hearts and then I post a devotional concerning Communion. Then I post about the bread along with a worship song, and then a devotional about the blood along with a worship song, and then a final prayer with a hymn.
There are prayers throughout and we wait for everyone. It was a genuine miracle. I invite you to join us at the end of April. My FB name is of course Rick Frueh. E-mail me at spcrick@msn.com with a friend request. Below are some of my devotionals.

Before we remember our Lord Jesus in the elements please
allow me the undeserved privilege of sharing a devotional concerning Jesus and
the glory of His cross. What tongue can do it justice? What mind can ascend to
its holiness? The world is unconcerned and religion clings to Cain’s works and
most of the church practices a self serving form without the substance. But
this is Jesus. There is nothing within the elements themselves, but there is
the presence of God Himself in this observance. Baptism happens but once, but
our Lord gave us a gift which we can experience as often as we desire.

The cross itself is a great mystery. And within that
mystery are other mysteries. The Incarnation, the love of God, the grace of
God, and other mysteries are all unfurled in the cross. The unregenerate man
sees nothing and the religious man see jewelry. Place yourself at the scene.
Blood and seat and odor and moaning and wounds. There is nothing that would
draw fondness or even curiosity. In fact it is repulsive in the extreme. And
when we realize Who it is that is being tortured and mocked and slain we are
shocked and repulsed as well we should be. This is man’s worst in full display
as well as God’s best in full display. The schemes of men can never defeat the
purposes of God and the acts of men have provided redemption for multitudes.

Do not deceive yourself. This was not just for thieves
and murderers and adulterers and vicious criminals. This was for vicious
criminals like you and like me who hid behind self righteous cloaks while dead
men’s bones rattled inside our own hearts. Yes, this bloody sacrifice was
provided and offered for deep and unworthy sinners like us. And who can really
know such a thing in all its glory and wonder? That a Holy God would come in
the likeness of one of us and then die at all, much less die upon the cross and
in public for all to see and for some to mock is the highest of mysteries.

The millions of gallons of blood drawn for the veins of
goats and lambs and bulls could never wash away one sin forever. But the blood
of this Scapegoat can make sinners like you and like me clean forever. Who can
know such a thing? But he who has been plunged beneath its cleansing flood is
not only awakened to its power, but he must sing its praises forever. Golgotha.
There is our place of redemption. There was the blood applied. There we were
raised from death to life everlasting. This is no religious talisman. This is
the place that our eternity was changed and our redemption was sealed.

So as we begin this Communion service let us not discount
its importance and the presence of the Precious Holy Spirit. We do not approach
it with religious superstition, nor do we see it as adding to our eternal
redemption. No, this is a spiritual feast, instituted by Christ the Lamb, and
is fed to our hearts. This is another gift of grace where we can remember
Jesus. Should we not stop from our busy earthly lives often and remember Him?
But this is a special time unlike any other. This is worship at its zenith if
we take our eyes off ourselves and off the world and we mentally and
spiritually drown ourselves in His remembrance and His presence.

This is not a celebration of Passover. This is a
celebration of Jesus who IS our Passover. Can you fully understand such an
incredible love God has for His people? Not only has Christ suffered and died
for us, and not only has the Holy Spirit drawn us the Jesus, and not only have
we been born again in the Spirit and made partakers of this holy sacrifice, but
Jesus Himself ordained an observance whereby we can remember Him and His cross.
Even though others may misuse Communion let us never discount its sacred
mission. Through it let us remember Him, and that, my friends, is the highest
though ever allowed a human heart.

“Oh Dear Lord Jesus we enter into Your presence with
hearts of faith and gratefulness. We bow before You majesty and we humbly thank
You for Your redemption for our souls. May You receive the praise of our hearts
as we partake of elements which represent Your body and blood. And we submit to
the Spirit for only He can make us one regardless of distance between us as
believers in Your name. Amen.”

I Cor.11: 23 For I have
received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus
the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake
it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in
remembrance of me.

Here we see Jesus breaking the bread with His own hands.
What a spectacle of amazement. This bread represents His body which is the
Bread of Life come down from heaven and yet He Himself is breaking it for His
followers. Jesus had said no man takes His life but He Himself lays it down.
This, when understood, should present to us a sacred foreshadowing when He did
it and a sacred remembrance today.

Oh how easy it was to tear a loaf apart, but oh what
suffering there will be when His body is torn apart…for us. The giving of His
body upon the cross is not just emotional sentimentality however it is filled
with emotional sentimentality. The clearer we see the truth, and the clearer we
see ourselves in that cross, the more we rejoice, the more we remember Him, and
the more we experience a holy emotion. This sinless Lamb was not giving His
body for His followers. No, that would come later. He was allowing His body to
be shredded and tortured and murdered for miscreants and sinners who desired no
part of Him.

And in His eternal plan God in the Person of the Holy
Spirit would draw uncaring rebels like you and like me so that we could see
with spirit eyes who He was and what He has done. So as we partake of the bread
let us deeply remember everything about this sacrifice, and above all let us
remember Him.

Let us pray: Lord we come to you without one plea.
Without your sacrifice we would be condemned forever and yet here we are your
very children. It is a miracle more wonderful than words could ever fully
reveal. This bread represents your batter and bruised and torn body which you
willingly gave for us. We bow in worship and glory and as we eat this bread our
hearts are partaking of Your precious body. This we do in remembrance of You.

Now partake of that which represents His body…

I Cor.11: 25 After the same
manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new
testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and
drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

Here we have a heart rendering scene. Jesus shares what
He calls the “cup” to His disciples. This will not be a cup of blessing for
Him, but it will be a cup of eternal blessing for all who drink of it. This
will be a cup of suffering and anguish for the spotless Lamb of God. And this
man, this God, will drink fully from it. The Scriptures speak of the “blood of
God” and surely it is that. That God would come as a man is beyond us
altogether, but that God would submit Himself to the fists and spittle and
mocking of spiritual criminals cannot be understood by any natural mind.

And then we see the blood. Before the cross sinful men
drew from the veins of God the crimson flood which carried in it eternal
redemption. By the time the Lamb of God reached Golgotha He was a scarlet
massacre. Who can even fathom such a sight! Who among us would not have the
urge to hide our eyes, and yet because we have been cleansed by that sea of red
we gaze at it will eyes full of tears and hearts full of love. What
unregenerate man can understand those who see a man being tortured beyond
recognition and yet bow in love and gratefulness? It is past knowing to the
natural man.

And instead of leaving that vision forever the Lord
Himself beckons us to remember. And His words say “Remember Me” and happy and
eager we are to do so. The world can never understand the power of the blood,
but to we who have been washed and made alive by its power we will never
forget. It is to us the life force of all eternity, and He alone is our Savior.

Let us pray: Once again we are at You Supper which You
gave to us. We are ever mindful of what this juice means. We can never fully
fathom a love which drew the blood from Emmanuel’s veins. But what we do know
humbles us and draws our hearts to worship You the Lamb which takes away our
sins. You shed Your blood, Jesus, and as we drink of this symbol our hearts
remember the blood You shed for us.

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

The phrase “going to church” is a misnomer
and misleading. The word “church” itself has become a colloquialism for all
sorts of things which in truth are not the church. In the Old Testament words
and phrases like Tabernacle and Sanctuary and tent of meeting were used. They
more accurately described what that building was used for. But today we call a
building a “church” which not only is inaccurate but has over the years
completely changed the meaning of the word church.

In the New Testament the Greek word
“ecclesia” is translated “church” and it depicts a gathering, a group, or the
called out ones. It has absolutely nothing to do with a building. In fact large
buildings came into existence during the time of that carnal and wicked emperor
Constantine. He built buildings for Christians as well as other pagan religions
and believers adopted his self serving offering. Since then buildings have been
built all over the world including large and ornate edifices that are now
called a church. And so here we are.

The more correct question would be can a
believer not interact and fellowship with other believers and still walk with
Christ? To that I would say no. But there are many shut ins who derive their
meat from the Scripture and perhaps a few visitors. The visitation from pastors
to shut ins has become a lost practice but decades ago it was part of a
pastor’s ministry. And if the religious organization (church) is large then
good luck with having the pastor visit you for any reason. They have a staff
member assigned for those mundane irritants.

But I do believe reading or hearing Biblical
messages by a man of God must be a mainstay in a believer’s spiritual life.
That can be done through the internet these days. I would strongly advise
against Christian television. Most “churches” do not have any corporate prayer
of any significance so you are not missing that. But now there are blogs and
websites and FaceBook where you can interact and fellowship with other like
minded believers. You see, many if not most of the “churches” in your area are
man made constructs and follow the spirit of this world. They are patriotic and
moralistic and money dependent as well as war supporting institutions which
really have very little to do with Christ.

So the ultimate question is would God desire
His people to gather in a local institution which is built and operates in the
strength of man? Can that possibly be the will of the Spirit just so you can
“punch your ticket” and say you “went to church”? I know scores of people who
have grown spiritually because they left the institution commonly called
church. They no longer sit under utilitarian messages designed to make you
successful. They no longer have to endure 4th of July services
filled with idolatry. They no longer have to be in the midst of pastor
idolization. And many have found it a great blessing to use their money for
missions and the ministry to the poor and not have it go to buildings and large
staff. They feel like they have been set free.

But there is a responsibility that comes with
leaving the institution known as church. You must feed your spirit. You must be
in the Word. You must deepen your prayer life. You must fellowship with other
believers somehow. And you must not allow your distaste for the system you left
to puff you up. You must allow the Spirit to strip you of any pride or self
righteousness. And any spiritual progress you make must make you grateful and
more humble. And when you interact on the internet you will find those with
whom you must break fellowship because some are self righteous and caustic, but
the Spirit will also teach you that no one will completely agree with you. And
when a believer has a different perspective about something, even something
about which you feel strongly, if the brother or sister is humble and seems to
love Jesus then you can overlook other things.

You are the church, or at least part of it.
In these last days there are many ways to interact with other true yokefellow
and to benefit spiritually from other’s gifts. But we must be diligent in our
seeking of Christ. I personally have benefitted greatly from internet fellowship
with other believers. I have written extensively about the compromises of the
local “church” constructs” elsewhere so I will not belabor the point. But what
good can it possibly be to sit in a pew and feel nothing but uncomfortable?
What good can it be to hear ear tickling messages? When you go Sunday after
Sunday only to revisit the same redundant construct you did the Sunday before
is that of the Spirit? When no one weeps with repentance and the service is
designed to be “uplifting” so people will return…is that of the Spirit?

I suggest all of pray without ceasing and
allow the Spirit to use these internet forums to edify, convict, and exhort us
as we continue in His Word and watch the power of the Word break us and remake
us into His image.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

29 And when they had platted a crown of
thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed
the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

30 And they spit upon him, and took the
reed, and smote him on the head.

31 And after that they had mocked him,
they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him
away to crucify him.

Jn.19: Then Pilate
therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

2 And the soldiers platted a crown of
thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and
they smote him with their hands.

4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and
saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find
no fault in him.

5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the
crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the
man!

There have been millions of crucifixions, but no one crucifixion has been
so detailed as the crucifixion of Jesus the Christ. We have a detailed
narrative which begins at His arrest and follows Him all the way until His
death on the cross. And in the natural it is a very gruesome scenario. And just
in the natural we are aware that He was innocent of any charges to say nothing
of the death penalty. But in order to understand and attempt embrace the
totality of what we are witnessing through the written word we must be aware
that this was God in the flesh. And this God man was completely holy and
without sin so it is an understatement to say He deserved no punishment.

Jesus had washed the disciple’s feet a few days ago, and the night before
He was arrested He instituted what we now call the Lord’s Supper or communion.
That supper would present a redemptive picture for what He would endure and
what He would pay for in His own body.

But now He willingly submitted Himself to the hands of wicked men. And
these men spared nothing and showed no mercy. They stripped Him of His clothes
and wrapped Him in a purple robe in order to mock Him as a king. They made a
ring of very sharp thorns and crushed it down upon His head, and they put a
reed in His right hand and bowed down and mocked Him. Now in the natural this
was humiliation at is zenith, but to understand that Jesus was the Son of God
then this humiliation becomes mind boggling. And to further understand that
Jesus would soon give His life for the same men who were mocking Him is beyond
anything we can understand.

It is difficult to imagine what a human figure would look like after such
a beating and such savagery. The Scriptures declare He did not even resemble a
human being. But His sufferings were far from just physical. It is my personal
belief that the first slap or punch or mocking is where His redemptive
sufferings began. In fact, it was when He sweat great drops of blood in the garden which began His redemptive sufferings. And they lasted until the last breath escaped from His lips.
And within each slap and punch, or with the thorns or when they plucked out His
beard, or when they lashed His back, within all of the abuse our sins were
being placed upon Him. He was the sin bearer, the scapegoat, the bronze serpent,
and He was the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world.

And then after a world of savage torture He was laid down upon two Roman
planks. It is fitting and metaphorical that it was carried out by Roman
soldiers. This was an earthly kingdom that was consumed with power and violence
and money and was pagan at its core. The Roman religion was practical and their
gods in their view helped them and their country. Does it not have a modern day
ring to it? Yes, you say, but we believe in one God? Do we? Visit a thousand
Christian churches across America and you may well hear several hundred
different gods being preached even though they all call them Jesus. And all those
churches believe their god helps them achieve their own dreams. You see, we
live in a modern day Roman Empire.

So they laid Him down and stretched out his arms. And they drove a nail
through each hand or wrist. And they placed one foot on top of the other and
drove a spike through them both. He was now impaled on a Roman cross just as
many thousands of criminals had been before Him. He was now contemptible…a scourge and an object to be mocked. They raised up the cross which bore the
Lamb and they placed it in the hole already dug with a thud! There He is. Earth
has rejected Him and He is now temporarily separated from heaven as well. He alone
must bear the awful pain and punishment for sins He never committed. And for
six hours He would hang there. What a scene! What a spectacle! This is human
brutality at its finest. And like hangings of old a crowd would gather and
watch a human being bear an agony known only to those who experience it and
about which none lived to tell. Beside all the wounds and the awful pain of the
nails it was almost impossible to breathe. One would have to press hard on the
nail which pierced the feet and lift up one’s body weight in order to gasp a
short breath. It was an excruciating process.

But the pain of the flesh can never compare with the pain of sin. The
crowd saw a Jew but God saw a Lamb. Who among us can know the pain of sin? We all
can testify of the results of sin and how we paid on earth somehow because we
had sinned, but to experience the pain of eternal divine judgment we cannot
tell. But only the Spirit can illuminate a human understanding as to who this
Jew was. Before we are born again we see a good teacher and a kind man and a
victim of injustice. But when the Spirit of God reveals to your heart who Jesus
is, was, and always will be then the eyes of your understanding are opened for the
very first time. And please allow me to say from experience you will never, you
can never, be the same again. To the world it is foolishness, but to us who are
redeemed it is the power of God.

As is our custom we try and make anything uncomfortable smoother and more
palatable. When we say Jesus died for our sins we seem to minimize two features
of His sacrifice. We seem to gloss over His sufferings, and we seem to gloss
over the depth of our sin. The way and extent of His sufferings are past
finding out. He suffered eternal punishment for the sins of the world. Oh how
that sounds like hyperbole and yet it is true for all eternity. I cannot fully
understand how person can suffer for sins at all much less the sins of the
entire world. He bore our pain. He bore our curse. He bore our guilt. He bore
our blame. He bore our disgrace. He bore our punishment. He bore the eternal sentence
about which we so richly deserved. And the word “bore” means a profound and indescribably
suffering.

When a redeemed person looks at the cross he or she is filled with awe and
wonder and gratefulness and pain and worship and a hundred other emotions and
enlightenments. For forty years I have heard about the cross, I have read about
the cross, and I have preached about the cross and yet I still am overwhelmed
by its beauty and wonder and the redemption I have found in it. The sufferings
were far above what is common to man. They can only be truly understood by the
One who endured them, but we are graciously called to embrace and seek them in
all their glory.

But is so many ways we say the word “sin” with a layer of safety. It is a
catch all word, but let us unpack it a little and reveal the vileness of sin
and what our Blessed Savior took upon Himself. Sometimes we like to equate sin
with lying or stealing or cursing or even some sexual infidelity, and yes all
those fall under that heading. But that is not all of what Jesus took upon
Himself. Think about infant rape. Think about child murder. Think about beheading.
Think about ripping a child from its mother’s womb. Think about purposely
infecting a person with a deadly disease. Think about killing one hundred
thousand people with one bomb. These and other more heinous sins were all
placed upon the Scapegoat.

But please do not minimize your own sins just because you deem the sin of
others greater. Your sins and mine are worthy of eternal punishment. The most
commendable unregenerate sinner is vile beyond words when revealed in the light
of a Holy God’s glory. Can you now just shake your head in awe and wonder when
you think that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”?
This event, this cross, is a selfless act of such magnitude that it stands
alone not only as the only path to God, but what act of compassion can compare?
That which we call the Incarnation represents that God came in the form of a
man. That is a divine miracle worthy of our awe and worship.

I have presented all that and I hope you have been edified as I have in
writing it. But I want to return to the title of my post. There are many, many,
many, and many more preachers and teachers who have retouched the cross to make
it more pleasant to the human taste and sensibilities. They wish to remove the
blood or at least sanitize it. They will not reveal the gruesomeness of the
cross. They much prefer it as jewelry than they do as a bloody vision filled
with the smell of pain and sweat and fresh blood mingling with dried blood.
That should not be articulated in mixed company. You can speak of success and
prosperity and fulfilling your dreams but the cross needs some retouching lest
it offends us. Just what kind of manmade religion is that which the church now
embraces?

Yes there are heretics which deny that Jesus was wounded for our
transgressions, but I speak of the modern church which loves it professional
praise and worship times but never hears about the viciousness of the cross.
And if they do hear some of it then Easter is the “appropriate” time. That way
we can spray fake blood on a man and let it entertain us before we leave church
and fill our bellies once more. But a steady diet of the cross? Please, we have
bigger fish to fry.

The word “cross” can be used as some redemptive talisman but to describe it
with some morbid detail does not minister to the flesh. To the natural man it
just relives history instead of looking forward to a prosperous earthly life. And
that is why the colors need to be pastels, and the sounds need to be muffled,
and the darkness needs to lifted, and the sin needs to be theological, and the
entire event needs to be stuffed and placed upon the wall of doctrinal
taxidermy. That way we can say we are orthodox without any personal introspection
and without entering into the fellowship of His sufferings.

But the very worst and most sacrilegious thing the church can ever do is
to soften the preaching of the cross. The word is commonplace but the vision is
sacred. It is now served on a platter of humanism and theological hubris but
without the spiritual pungency which can pierce the spirit and lead men to
repentance and worship. The cross when preached in all its glory can set the
captive free and bring the prodigal back home. It is our shelter and our
refuge. It is where we see Jesus most clearly. It breaks the prideful heart and
mends the broken heart. It is not just the symbol of our faith. It is the very
center of our faith for if there was no cross there can never be eternal life.

But let us never avert our eyes form the startling reality of His
sufferings and death. The wounds and the thorns and the blood and the death are
used of the Spirit to make us whole. But if we retouch that sacred cross in
order to pacify and buffer and protect us from the visceral realities of true
spirituality then all we have left is human reasoning with Jesus pasted on top.
And that, my friends, is spiritual death.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Jn.19:16-18 - Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led Him away. And He bearing His cross went forth into a pace called the place of the skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha. Where they crucified Him, and two other with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.I Sam.17:54 - And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem.God. Jehovah. Jesus. All the attributes of God are interconnected and are inseparable and exist as one. But if there is one central revelation of the nature and fullness of Almighty God that more wholly unveils who God is to man it is the cross. If you could take all sixty-six books of the Holy Scriptures and follow each verse and each sentence like a divine path to its source and intended destination they would all gather at the cross. It is this magnificent act of sacrifice, death, and victory that defies human understanding and without the personal apocalypse of the Holy Spirit it is foolishness. Justice and injustice; death and life; angels and demons; beautiful and grotesque; eternally planned but captured in 360 minutes; lamb and lion; goat and ram; common and royal; Roman and Hebrew; and God and man.

And the Savior Himself told us that the Old Testament Scriptures that the Jews studied, recited, and even wore as jewelry spoke of Him. If you took a verse from Chronicles that only listed three men in a genealogy and as such seemed insignificant and unrevealing, and if you distilled it down by the power and guidance of God’s Spirit using the context in history, and the lives of the men listed, and other interconnections of the Spirit you would still find the cross. And with that understanding, the following story of David and Goliath is an historical and Scriptural alabaster box that when broken fills the heart of the spiritually minded believer with another glorious glimpse of the cross.

Even the little four year old vacation Bible school child has heard the story of how David defeated Goliath with just one God empowered stone to the center of Goliath’s forehead. It is a true story of God’s great and miraculous power over evil that can be revealed through any surrendered vessel and with the weapons of God’s own choosing. God sends His prophet Samuel into the house of Jesse and He instructs Samuel to anoint the future king inside this humble house. Now Jesse brought seven of his sons before Samuel being sure that the king would come from one of these. But Samuel did not have the witness of the Spirit about any of those seven and after inquiring about any other sons Jesse sends for his youngest, David. And David comes into the house stinking of sheep and in a blur he feels oils running down his face and hears Samuel talk of the King of Israel. The Word tells us at that very day the Spirit came upon David.

Not too many days later the Philistines were locked in battle against the children of Israel and they sent out a giant named Goliath to challenge anyone from the Israeli camp to fight him and decide the war. All the Jews were afraid and they did not know what to do so they did nothing. As it happened in God’s providence Jesse sent David with some food for his brothers and when he arrived at the camp he heard Goliath defying the army of the children of God. So David, anointed by God’s Spirit, asks, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God?”.

They eventually let David face Goliath and with one providential stone Goliath is hit in the head, falls to the ground, and dies. So David runs to the corpse of Goliath, picks up Goliath's own sword, and severs his head off of his body, and upon seeing this the Philistines fled and the victory was won. Why did David cut off Goliath’s head? Well it represented a visual display of total victory and was proof that the enemy was completely defeated. But now follow as we go further through this historical account that will lead us to, yes, the cross.

Many times after a battle in Old Testament times the victorious army would behead the vanquished army or its ruler using that bloody act to symbolize how great their victory had been. In those days it was also a common practice for armies to display their victory by placing the heads of the slain rulers or military leaders upon stakes so other would be adversaries would take notice and fear. In Judges chapter seven and II Kings chapter ten and elsewhere are examples of the heads of the defeated being used for emblems of victory.

But I draw your attention to I Samuel 17:54 - And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; and he put his armor in his tent.There are at least two things that are peculiar to this verse. Why did David take the head of Goliath to Jerusalem? And also it should be noted that the city of Jerusalem did not as yet exist. It would be founded by David at a later date but it seems that the Holy Spirit was proclaiming it prophetically as "Jerusalem" for a reason. The practice of placing the heads of defeated enemies upon wooden stakes also served to warn travelers of the power that was in the city because many times the heads were staked high outside the city. Of course after many days the weather and the birds would strip the heads of all their flesh and eventually all that was left was a skull attached to the top of a wooden stake.

So when David took the bloody head to the future city of Jerusalem he would have placed it high on a stake to warn others of God’s power and to proclaim this great victory over the Philistines and that this city belonged to the Most High God. Several years later David would take over the city from the Jebusites and name it Jerusalem, the city of peace.

Rom.16:20 - And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet.
Fast forward approximately one thousand years and journey to a place just outside Jerusalem. Look, there is the place of a skull, Golgotha. Close to four thousand years earlier God had prophesied this day by telling Eve that her seed, the Lord Jesus, would bruise the head of the serpent. (Gen.3:15) Oh yes, there was something significant and symbolic about the head of Goliath.

More than any other identification in the New Testament Jesus is referred to as the son of David. In Matt.1:1 it is the first description in the New Testament of the Lord Jesus as “the son of David”. And in the very last chapter of Revelation Jesus refers to Himself as “the offspring of David”. So from the beginning of the New Testament all the way through to the end Jesus is named the son of David. The greatest Patriarch, the greatest king of Israel, the greatest warrior, and the most compassionate and intimate servant of Jehovah was David. And of course he was just a shadow of the coming Son of the Living God. But Jesus, at the place of a skull, annihilated the enemy and won the victory over sin, death, and Satan himself. This was the prophetic fulfillment of the victory David had won over Goliath when he had placed his severed head at Jerusalem as a sign that loudly spoke of a coming victory at Golgotha.

Through all those centuries the skull itself was now gone but because the event was so significant people had referred to this place as the place of a skull. It was at this very place that King Jesus, still wearing human appearance, slew the giant and forever severed his head and held it up openly throughout the world and for all eternity. And just as the skull was placed upon a wooden stake to display the victory, the Lord Jesus, Moses’ serpent, was placed high upon a wooden beam just outside of the city of Jerusalem to warn and woo the whole world to the everlasting victory.

And everyone who looks and believes in true faith that this sacrifice is the complete and only way into the Celestial City of Peace, the heavenly Jerusalem, will be allowed into the Great City and more importantly the very presence of the Risen Christ, the Son of David. And the Scriptures declare that one day the Lord Jesus will actually rule and reign for one thousand years sitting upon the throne of his father, King David.

Remember, this magnificent and everlasting victory was once pictured in the story of a little shepherd boy who defeated the enemy with one stone and the anointing of God. Every Word that God has spoken is intertwined with all His Words and they are sewn together with one scarlet thread that winds around and through the victory that was won at Golgotha, the place of a skull.

Monday, February 09, 2015

Lk.14: 12 Then said
he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not
thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours;
lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

13 But when thou makest a feast, call the
poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they
cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of
the just.

Lk.14: 25 And there
went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and
his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Lk.14: 33 So
likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot
be my disciple.

The word
“Christian” is a moniker given to early believers. It indicated that certain
people reminded the lost community that they were followers of Jesus and their
behavior reminded lost people of Jesus. Over the many years the word has become
a catch all and has lost any real significance. If a person is not a Muslim and
is an American he is considered a Christian in many circles. Even the term
“born again” has fallen on hard times and is no longer used within the wider
evangelical community.

But let us use the
word Christian in the accepted and colloquial sense just for a reference point.
No one can be considered a Christian without being born again by God’s Spirit.
No amount of theology, and no amount of doctrinal degrees, and no amount of
original language credentials can make a person a Christian. No amount of
catechism, and no amount of Biblical morality, and no amount of denominational
acceptance can make a person a Christian. There is nothing a person can do that
can transform his soul and make him a Christian. Only God’s grace empowered by
God’s Spirit can lead a sinner to Christ and have that sinner truly believe
that life changing gospel. There are many millions who actually believe the
gospel with their religious and moral minds who have not really been born
again. They are as lost as the heroin dealer and the gay atheist.

So when a sinner
truly believes in Jesus and his heart and life is changed and the Spirit comes
to live inside his being, now what? What should we expect of that sinner now?
What changes should we see being made in his heart and life? It is here that
even those who preach and believe the born again experience begin to deviate
from the Scriptures they claim to embrace as literal and inerrant. It is here
where the church has followed earthly mores rather than the New Testament
teachings of Jesus. In the basic sense when you are born again you are a new
creature in Christ and you know are commanded and certainly you now desire to
follow Jesus. I mean that should be elementary however it has become blurred in
these last days until almost all that is left is Jesus the Savior and not Jesus
the Lord.

“I don’t have
abortions and I do not do drugs and I am not homosexual and therefore Jesus is
my Lord.” Really? Jesus actually did not deal with any of those sins. Yes, I
said sins. But the church has created its own fig leaf aprons consisting of a
few moral leaves and now it claims to be following Jesus. And millions upon
millions of people who embrace those kinds of moral issues consider themselves
Christians because they have believed and they have been baptized and they are
church members and they take stands against a very small set of moral sins. But
it goes much deeper than that.

I would like to
use a certain Alabama judge who happens to be a Baptist as an example of what I
am attempting to communicate. The judge’s name is Roy Moore and he is a Vietnam
vet as well as a judge. You can read about him HERE.

He is
representative of millions of evangelical Americans who have blended earthly
allegiances and conservative morals with Christianity. This is no small issue
and in reality it cuts to the very core of what it means to be a Christian. So
many people believe a Christian is conservative on moral and financial issues,
and he holds to the accepted list of orthodox doctrines that have been spoon
fed by a man who knows more Bible than do they. And almost without exception
they believe that a Christian is a patriot and supports America. That is
regularly reinforced from the pulpit as well as testimonies from men and women
of the military who also consider themselves as Christian. And in many cases
the allegiance to America trumps the allegiance to Jesus as can be witnessed by
the “American Sniper” man who could find humor and glee in killing and use all
kinds of profanity and yet is considered a Christian based solely upon his
patriotism toward America as well as his hatred for Muslims.

But the standard
checklist of moral issues never includes war. Most evangelical will say they do
not like war but it is sometimes necessary. There are so many things wrong with
that statement the foundational error would be no New Testament support as well
as the belief system of the early Christians. But let us assume there is a
country in which citizenship was only offered to born again believers. Let us
assume that all the usual moral issues seemed to be aligned with Scripture.
Then those who would take up arms to defend it might be understandable even
though still not Scripturally defensible. But that is not the case here.

We live in a
fallen world. And the country known as America is part of this fallen world. It
is consumed with money and earthly success and makes its rock stars and
Hollywood actors and sports heroes millionaires. And it legalizes abortions and
marries same sex partners. It has a history of racism and it was birthed by a
war over taxes. To suggest that America is a Christian nation or that is was
founded as a Christian nation is both absurd and a damnable lie meant to
elevate America into a divine favored status. And yet this lie is not only
perpetrated among those who call themselves Christians it is celebrated.

And what has
happened is that the faith commonly called “Christian” has become part of an
earthly culture and has thereby been compromised, diluted, and morphed into a
religious phenomenon which bears little resemblance to the words and teachings
of Jesus. Does the judge in the article I linked to believe that posting the
Ten Commandments on public walls will have some redemptive effect upon this
fallen culture? No, he does not. His belief system is a self righteous and
moralistic attempt to preserve an idol he calls America and the “good old” days
he longs for.

But is that what
it means to be a Christian? Think about that for a moment. How self centered
and narcissistic is that? Millions of evangelical are not worried about the
earthly state nor the spiritual state of billions around the world. How much
money goes to the poor? How many prayers are sent for the poor? How many tears
are shed form those who are one heartbeat away from a lost eternity? And yet
these same “Christians” would energetically go to war in order to protect “their
way of life” which means earthly life. How can you not see the utter paradox in
such a position as it pertains to following Jesus and forsaking all? There is
no common ground here. None.

Patriotism is a
form of apostasy plain and simple. It deceives the mind. It divides the heart.
It compromises the faith. And in the end it changes everything about what it
truly means to be a Christian. And as I said for this article we will
understand the label “Christian” as meaning a born again follower of Jesus. It
breeds hatred. It breeds self righteousness. It breeds greed. And there is
nothing holy or sacred or humble about any of it. It is in its entirety
antithetical to all Jesus lived and taught. So the question is how did we get
to such a place?

Of course it all
began with taxes and the Revolutionary War and an increasing spirit of American
exceptionalism. Even President John Adams disavowed the word “Christian” as it
pertained to America when Muslim countries were wary of trading with America.
But after the Industrial Revolution that Christian narrative became a part of
the curriculum taught to children. And became ingrained and unquestioned in the
psyche of each successive generation. But as America prospered greatly and the
average man began to lust for money and things, and as America became a world
military power, the Christ nation narrative did not have to change, but what it
meant to be a Christian had to endure a facelift with the culture as the scalpel.

But when the love
of money and wielding violence as a determent became an acceptable part of
being a Christian because to suggest otherwise would go against the now
established culture, something else must take its place in order to maintain a
level of boldness which would soothe the conscience. And so a few moral issues
and a few doctrinal issues were called front and center. They became the
measuring rod of what it meant to be a Christian. Feeding the poor and loving
your enemies and being clothed with humility and being content with food and
clothing were residual and parts of a heart warming sermon. They were no longer
the absolutes of what it meant to follow Jesus.

And in an
incredible display of self righteous duplicity preachers would hold up a Bible
and declare they believed it was literal and the orthodox crowd would applaud
or say “Amen!” or nod in agreement. And yet all the while this same orthodox
crowd ignored what Jesus lived and said. Most of us were caught up in that scenario.
It was a great time and many of us would come away from some conference walking
on air as we headed for the restaurant and with fresh tapes and books in our
cars. And being filled with nationalism and moralism and sense of doctrinal
pride we lived to face another day ignorant of the Spirit and of the Master we
claimed to follow. And when someone mumbled a repeated prayer we could shower
him with all kinds of assurance that heaven was now his home even though a few
minutes ago he was a stranger.

But back to the
question contained in the title of this post. What does it mean to be a
Christian? The short answer is a born again follower of Jesus. But to follow
Jesus is to know what He taught and then obey it by the power of the Spirit. I
suggest you read the words of Jesus for many moths over and over again. I
suggest you pray over them. I suggest you beseech the Spirit to open the eyes
of your understanding. I have been on a post journey entitled, The teachings of
Jesus” and I suggest you read all of them. This is serious business if indeed
we wish to follow our Savior in word and deed. And if we truly desire to be a
Christian in the truest sense then we must cast off the old wineskins and drink
from the new wineskins filled with His Spirit and His words.

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Communication

Additional communications to me may be e-mailed to spcrick@msn.com. Any negative e-mails will be deleted without response, however sincere questions will be answered. I seek edification and deeper knowledge of Christ and His truth not a destructive and meaningless religious chatter. May God's Spirit open all of our hearts to Him.

About Me

I am an ordained Baptist minister but more importantly I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was saved in 1975 watching Billy Graham on television after having lived a wicked and Christless life. I graduated with a three year degree from Trinity Bible College in Dunedin, Florida. I have three children, two grandsons, and one granddaughter. I not only see the obvious falling away of the present day church, but I humbly acknowledge that we all are in desperate need of a massive revival. I hope this blog ministers to you, and may Jesus Himself receive all the preeminence!
spcrick@msn.com